Time to make another supply run to the Bay area. Again, I am not
some kind of survivalist prepper, but in light of geopolitical
events as well as a healthy dose of domestic uncertainty, we are
planning to stock up a bit more on our staple items.  Living out
in the sticks of Northern California makes this a requirement
anyway.

I have yet to hear back from the gentleman from Blue Sky Solar
regarding putting the lower well on a solar pump.  Apparently he
doesn't need the business that bad.  I might just take up the
project myself if I do not hear from him soon.  Time to do some
research.  Before I go through all of the bother and expense, it
might worth my time to perform some calculations to see if there
really is enough sun exposure to install a slow pump to provide
sufficient water for our daily needs.

Continuing on the theme on the risk of ignoring fact based (or
even evidence based) intelligence can be disastrous:

http://tinyurl.com/mcmepdj

Even if the White House Report is based on intelligence reports,
there does seem to be a significant amount of open source
intelligence that challenges the veracity of the "no doubt about
it" assertions by the Secretary of Defense:

http://tinyurl.com/m4s9zb3

Intelligence is a big driver in foreign policy and it is
disturbing that the prima facie evidence indicates that
intelligence reporting has been politicized.  The so called
intelligence used to support the war in Iraq is a recent example.

"Ill advised," "bad decision" military engagements also have
become test beds for new technology.  Here is the latest that may
have already been deployed:

https://youtu.be/D2sRVORr2ks

Americans historically do not have the stomach for protracted
wars (for justifiable reasons) and generally have to be drawn in
by some type of false flag operation.  When the horrors of war
have been removed by introduction of technology, the incentives
to avoid war have also been removed.  Drone warfare, modern
missile technology and now the much vaunted rail gun which would
make war efficient and more cost effective (we won't get into the
development cost) now takes the personal interest out of waging
war.  We have come a long way from the times when we smashed our
opponent over the head with a rock.  Ah, the march of
progress.:-/  The new style of warfare is low intensity
skirmishes with non state entities.  This keeps the war pump
primed without becoming embroiled in a full scale conflict.

There is a very real economic cost as we all know.

http://sdf.org/l/ef

As a nation, we are going to be crushed under the economic weight
of our military technical prowess.